Bill Skarsgård & Anthony Hopkins Face Off in Saw-Meets-Christine Thriller Locked [Review]

Warning: The following review contains mild spoilers for Locked.

Morality is in the eye of the beholder, and therein lies the problem. Locked explores the darker side of vigilantism, showcasing how it’s born out of contempt and anger rather than a true desire to address social issues.

Directed by David Yarovesky – who helmed the highly underrated dark superhero movie Brightburn – from a script by Michael Arlen Ross, Locked is an American remake of the 2019 Argentinian film 4×4. The story begins with Bill Skarsgård’s pink hoodie-wearing Eddie Barrish struggling to pay for his van’s repairs. His problems are further compounded when he receives a call that he forgot to pick up his young daughter from school. It’s not a good day for him, but the mechanic Karl (Michael Eklund) isn’t budging: Eddie needs to find the cash, or Karl won’t release his vehicle.

For Eddie, the van symbolizes the opportunity to change his fortunes. It’s obvious he’s been in trouble with the law lately and wants to keep his nose clean, so this is his lifeline. Out of his desperation, though, he pinches wallets and sees if any vehicles are open for him to take a look inside for any valuables. In a secluded parking lot, he discovers an unlocked luxurious black SUV – a Range Rover-styled Dolus. Eddie steps inside, and he gets locked in.

This is where Locked roars to life. The Dolus’ LCD screen lights up with an incoming phone call. While Eddie rejects it as he tries to escape, he finally answers the persistent caller. Here, he finds out that he’s speaking to the car’s owner, William (Anthony Hopkins), and this has all been orchestrated to teach him – and the city’s thieves – a lesson.

How bad can it be sitting in a luxury car with comfortable leather seats, though? Pretty bad, since William boobytrapped his car. Not only can he watch Eddie’s every move through the various cameras, but he also possesses full remote control of the car. He can turn the aircon temperature up or down, torture him with hours of yodeling, or even shock the seats when he wants Eddie to pay attention.

Put aside the physical harm for a second, because this is where Ross’ script dials up the intensity level into the psychological thriller domain. William wants to break down Eddie entirely, so he starves and pushes Eddie to the point where he considers drinking his own urine. As soon as Eddie hits a new low and his mind begins to betray him or he pleads for mercy, William gives him a little bit of food or drink – a metaphorical glimmer of hope – then starts the torture all over again. William isn’t a John Kramer from Saw clone, who’s testing Eddie’s mental strength and offering him a way out if he plays the game. He’s punishing Eddie, and there’s only one outcome in his mind.

If the first act of Locked is Saw, the second turns into John Carpenter’s Christine. William takes control of the Dolus and forces Eddie to go on a murderous joyride. It’s here that Eddie learns the vile depths that William is willing to plunge into, because of his desire to rid the city of undesirable elements.

William’s motivations come from a personal and traumatic experience with crime. For him, he believes the justice system crumbled entirely, and criminals respect no one. Since there’s no fear of consequence, their crimes and brazen attitudes only escalate. For him, the only way to fight back is through unforgiving violence.

Ross’ script juxtaposes William and Eddie’s perspectives. The same society that “fails” William failed Eddie too, since he steals out of desperation and to provide for his family. The radical inequality of society is to blame for the rising crime, because there are those who can afford anything and those who can’t buy a thing. William wants to view society as black and white – good and bad – when there’s so much grey area, such as where Eddie operates, to unpack and understand.

Anyone who watched Brightburn knows that Yarovesky loves to toy with tension and build it up to an explosive point. He applies the same logic to Locked – and he needed to do exactly that, since this is a movie about a guy trapped inside a car by himself for 90-odd minutes. While Yarovesky pulls out the blood and gore at certain parts, he gets under the audience’s skin through the cerebral scenes and the close-up claustrophobic shots. And just when the viewer thinks they have suffered enough, he changes gears to showcase how there’s more agony to come for Eddie.

Of course, Yarovesky’s approach wouldn’t work without actors the caliber of Skarsgård and Hopkins. For Skarsgård, this might be one of his best on-screen performances yet. While in a film like Robert Eggers’ Nosferatu, he had other actors to feed off – pardon the pun – it’s different here. Skarsgård is all alone in Locked. He’s inside a vehicle and reacting to only a voice and what happens inside closed quarters. In Hopkins’ case, he remains off-screen until the third act, but he unleashes a lesson in sublime voice acting here. While he might have phoned it in for both Rebel Moon films, Hopkins feels energized and channeling the psychopathic tendencies of Hannibal Lecter for William. 

Locked knows when to unlock the doors before it overstays its welcome. It leaves no doubt that William is the villain of the story, but it also demonstrates that his brutal brand of vigilantism worked in the sense that it’s the catalyst of change for the protagonist. Another person could argue that Eddie wasn’t right for breaking into the car in the first place, but did the punishment fit the crime? Again, it’s a question about morality, and that’s an area where society seems divided more than ever before.

Locked spins its wheels into theaters on March 21, 2025.